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Katrina's Children Still Neglected Three Years Later

For Immediate Release
August 29, 2008

For More Information Contact:
Ed Shelleby(202) 662-3602

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Children's Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman issued the following statement about the continued neglect and abandonment of children who survived Hurricane Katrina:

"It is a national scandal that so many children are still plagued by the trauma of their horrific experiences of survival in the aftermath of the storm. Tens of thousands of children suffer from disorientation and isolation. Millions of dollars in federal funding never reached the countless families in need it was supposed to help. As New Orleans and the Gulf Coast face the threat of another hurricane, we must take this opportunity to remember the thousands of families—and especially children—still suffering three years after Katrina.

"Katrina's terrifying quagmire has become yesterday's story for too many political, policy and media leaders and citizens and these families urgently need our help. When one of the country's most vibrant and diverse cities falls behind, America as a whole suffers. We must urge Congress to commit to the reconstruction of New Orleans and the Gulf Region to ensure that their communities, schools, and homes are rebuilt so the children living there can have the level playing field every child deserves."

For more information about children in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, or to read either of CDF's Katrina's Children reports released in 2006 and 2007, visit www.childrensdefense.org/katrina.